Sreejesh himself had spoken about its merits. “It’s always good to share the field with the second goalkeeper,” he had told this daily in 2023. “When I started it was always about the first goalkeeper. The entire tournament, he would be playing and the second goalkeeper would be sitting on the bench. The chances of a goalkeeper getting injured have increased so much so make sure the second goalkeeper is getting sufficient match time… giving them enough opportunities gives them more experience. It gives them more confidence.”
Now? It’s time for the man from Kapurthala in Punjab to emerge from the shadows and showcase the kind of confidence Sreejesh was talking about. Fulton has also been a big fan of Reid’s job share so he has continued that tradition of rotating the men under the sticks — against Germany on Tuesday, Suraj Karkera got his chance in two of the four quarters.
It comes down to the preference of the team management in that some have clearly defined starting keeper and substitute keeper. At the other end of the spectrum, sides like India have rotational custodians. The natural next question, then, may be to ask if India can take two keepers, why is it important to have a well defined No. 1? From a big picture perspective — the LA Olympics where sides are allowed only 16 players and only one keeper as part of the playing contingent — planning has to start now.
And games like one on Tuesday are what will inform Fulton &. Co about whether Pathak, or Karkera, will be the answer for the ‘who after Sreejesh?’ question.
Cheered on by a decently-sized crowd at the Kalinga Stadium on a school night, both keepers pulled off good saves but Pathak also had a moment to forget. He saved smartly to keep out a German shot in the first quarter but completely lost sight of where the rebound had gone. His natural response was to challenge a visiting stick but the rebound was safely tucked into an unguarded net. It was one of those ‘he could have done better’ moments. As the side’s elder custodian, it would have rankled. The good thing, though, was that he picked himself up and produced one smart save in the third quarter.
